Spherically symmetric, self-similar spacetimes

In this paper, we show that self-similarity with respect to the existence of a (purely radial) homothetic Killing vector field for spherically symmetric spacetimes implies the separability of the spacetime metric in terms of the co-moving coordinates (and vice versa) and that the metric is, uniquely, the one recently reported in (Class. Quantam Grav. 18: 2147–2162; 2001). This spacetime, in general, has non-vanishing energy flux and shear. An interesting feature of this spacetime, in contrast to other self-similar spherically symmetric spacetimes (not reducible to our form) is that it has an arbitrary radial distribution of matter.     

Development of a bioanalytical method for the quantification of sinococuline in human plasma and its application in phase I clinical pharmacokinetic study

A selective, highly sensitive, precise, and novel bioanalytical method has been developed and validated to quantify sinococuline, an active constituent present in the phytopharmaceutical drug product containing Cocculus hirsutus plant extract, in vivo. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Luna Omega Polar-C18 bonded analytical column maintained at 45°C. The isocratic mobile phase consisted of methanol and ammonium formate buffer (60:40, v/v) at acidic pH with a low flow rate of 0.250 mL/min. Detection was performed on an API 4000 mass spectrometer using electrospray ionization in positive polarity and multiple reaction monitoring mode to achieve a lower limit of quantification of 1.50 ng/mL. Excellent accuracy and precision were obtained after extracting the analyte from plasma samples using a chemical analogue as an internal standard in the absence of an isotope-labeled compound. The extraction efficacy was evidenced from recovery study, and the analyte was found to be stable in plasma. Validation study demonstrated linearity with coefficient of correlation, r ≥ 0.99, and minimal matrix effect. This bioanalytical method was successfully applied to evaluate pharmacokinetic parameters of sinococuline from a phase I clinical trial of an aqueous extract of C. hirsutus in healthy human volunteers.     

Dark and bright soliton solutions and computational modeling of nonlinear regularized long wave model

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this article, the authors simulate and study dark and bright soliton solutions of 1D and 2D regularized long wave (RLW) models. The RLW model occurred in various fields such...     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of benzoic acid hydrazide by bromate catalyzed by octamolybdomanganate(II)

Oxidation of benzoic acid hydrazide by bromate in the presence of octamolybdomanganate(II), [Mn^IIMo₈O₂₇]⁴⁻, was studied in hydrochloric acid medium. The mechanism of the reaction involves oxidation of the catalyst to [Mn^IVMo₈O₂₇]²⁻ by bromate which then forms a complex with the unoxidized catalyst. Both the complex and [Mn^IVMo₈O₂₇]²⁻ react with the substrate in rate-determining steps to generate an intermediate acyl diimide, RCONNH. The reaction of water with the diimide then leads to the formation of benzoic acid and nitrogen as products through an NH–NH intermediate. There was no formation of free radical, indicating the involvement of only two-electron transfer steps in the mechanism. The order of more than unity in catalyst concentration is due to the formation of complex between the catalyst and the oxidized form of the catalyst. A rate law explaining all the kinetic results has been derived and verified. The effects of ionic strength and solvent polarity have also been studied, and the thermodynamic parameters were determined. A less solvated transition state as a result of interaction between the complex and oxidized form of the catalyst satisfactorily explains all the effects observed. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Transition metal-free Suzuki type cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of dissymmetric ketones

A simple, efficient and metal-free route for the synthesis of dissymmetric ketones through Suzuki type cross-coupling reaction has been established. This strategy signifies an attractive, cost-effective and operationally convenient tool for the synthesis of a wide range of dissymmetric ketones. Although conventional routes for the synthesis of ketones have been widely used, the potential challenge with these methods is functional group tolerance. The reported metal-free method represents a reaction with moderate functional group tolerance. The procedure is operationally convenient and shows broad substrate scope with good to excellent product yields.     

Novel monofunctionalized electron-deficient anthraquinone-based discotic liquid crystals

A series of electron-deficient 1-hydroxy-2,3,5,6,7-pentaalkoxyanthra-9,10-quinones has been synthesized. All nine members of the series were found to be liquid crystalline, forming columnar mesophases over a broad temperature range. Such supramolecular building blocks can be used for the preparation of novel discotic dimers, oligomers, polymers and metallomesogens.     

Development of Humidity Sensor Using Nanoporous Polycarbonate Membranes

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - In the present work, the effect of temperature and moisture has been studied on nano-porous polycarbonate membranes of size 15, 50, and 80 nm, respectively...